


beautiful things

by heartland



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Harry Styles - Freeform, Louis Tomlinson - Freeform, M/M, anxious!louis, bascially my life in a fic, collegeAU, confident!harry, larry - Freeform, one direction - Freeform, thrifting!au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2018-12-08 02:05:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11636691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartland/pseuds/heartland
Summary: harry enjoys thrifting; works at the local thrift store, & adores high waisted jeans. louis has anxiety; needs a job, & adores harry.an anxious!louis, confident!harry, college au.





	beautiful things

When Harry walks through the sliding door, he is immediately bombarded by the few co-workers already wandering the small store. Steph, who’s one of the newer employees chimes in first, obviously not scared of how Harry would react. “We heard you went out on your first ever date last night? Oh my goodness, how was it Harry?” 

With a mixture of shock and surprise, shock from how much his co-workers actually know about his personal life, and surprise due to Steph’s boldness, Harry simply chuckles and walks over to fill up his mug with the coffee on the counter. They follow, as predicted in his mind, desperate for something new to talk about. His first reaction is to turn around and slap one of them in the face, but since he figures that may be considered inappropriate in the workplace, he just mutters something about how this coffee looks and tastes like it’s been sitting here overnight.

It’s only when he turns around and sees their still curious faces that he decides he might as well tell them, not only to maintain the sanity he has left, but just because he get’s a fucking kick out of their reactions to events in his life. 

“Okay so since you assholes need something new to wrap your heads around… I don’t think we’ll be seeing eachother again.” Harry states. The few of them still left simply ignore his easily given insult, and pretend to be upset. 

“Nice! I told you guys!!” Steph blurts out. Okay maybe now is the time to slap her, Harry thinks. Seeing his puzzled look, she explains to him that their circle of fellow employees had a bet going after hearing of Harry’s date, only one of them actually betting that Harry would see the person again. 

“Well it’s nice to know that you lot believe in me. Truly, thank you for your sympathy.” 

It’s been two years of this shit. Two years of working with only twenty-something year olds who have no actual personal lives. But then again Harry may not be far from that title himself. He started working at the small thrift store conveniently named “Beautiful Things Thrift” only months after he began attending the college about six blocks up the main road. He needed some extra cash, and well - something to do in what seemed like his endless free time. And there’s no way to ignore the fact that he basically walked through the doors every single day anyway, looking for new deals & discounted vintage clothing. Harry has always enjoyed wearing old fashioned clothing, he’s “from another era” as his mother puts it. He always made bold choices when it came to his wardrobe, spurring away from the stereotypical, “guys sag their pants” and “wear fucking flannels everyday”. God Harry hasn’t worn a flannel since he was twelve. 

It was only after he told his mother he was gay, his first year of high school, that he felt he could start wearing the clothes he had wanted to wear all along. Not because you had to be gay to wear them. That’s bullshit. But because now, when he was called gay in his shithole high school for wearing high waisted stonewash jeans and embroidered blouses and big colorful sweaters, he could say “Yeah, actually I am.” 

To say Harry has never really been self conscious or had confidence issues would be crazy, but then again, he hasn’t ever really cared that much. Not enough to sacrifice his well being. If he wants to wear floral patterns and paint his nails, why is he looked at any differently than when his older sister does? Fucking society and their senseless gender roles are a waste of time. How is what he’s wearing hurting anyone? Even from a very young age Harry was taught to fully express himself, if that meant being like everyone else, fine. But to him it was much more.

He landed the job when his Psych 101 professor from his first year of college overheard him talking about a new jacket he had gotten from a local place, “right up the road”. He pulled Harry aside and told him that his sister owned a local thrift store and was looking for some new staff members to help pull in a “younger crowd”. After showering Harry with compliments about his “ability to take a stand” and “not to care what others think” the teacher offered him a job at Beautiful Things. Of course he accepted, his mom’s voice playing in his head, constantly nagging about to get a job. Although his first few weeks there, he spent all of his paycheck before he even received it, it was still the closest he ever thought he would be to heaven. Getting a sneak peek of all the old treasured clothing, well let’s just say, had its perks.

 

\---

 

Louis swears he isn’t real. There’s absolutely no way. Okay, so he’s liked boys before, he’s had crushes, and been on one - no wait, two dates. But he’s so baffled and sort of annoyed with himself for the amount of affection he has for this boy. He’s never talked to him, never made more than direct eye contact (from across the lecture hall). He’s so beautiful. Sometimes he has his nails painted black or pastel, his fluffy brown hair frames his face, he dresses in a way that intrigues Louis. Everyday is something new, Louis vaguely remembers a fitted white shirt, with embroidered roses along the back of the collar, god he’s in love. And that means he must be fucking crazy. He’s so enamored by this boy and he hasn’t even properly met him, he doesn’t even know his name. 

Louis’ thoughts are interrupted by his phone vibrating loudly on the small round table in front of him. Of course it’s one of his few friends, Niall.

hey mate ,! did you finish that ochem assignment?? fucking ridiculous !! 

Louis just sighs, no actually he’s been too busy thinking about all his fucking probelms to even try and deal with organic chemistry. Louis is in his second year of a college right up the main road, only got in because his aunt is a professor there. To say he’s struggling with his classes is an understatement. His anxious mind always racing, thinking too far ahead or not far enough back to the lesson he had two hours ago. He was diagnosed his freshman year with generalized anxiety disorder, and forced by his family to be put on some weird prescription - lexapro maybe? Anyway, the pills have already helped him gain fourteen pounds and have been about two fucking percent successful in helping decrease his anxiety. 

To sum up, his brain is made up of three main parts, anxiety, sexual frustration, and the gorgeous unnamed boy who usually walks up the street around this time on Monday’s. 

Louis takes a quick peek near the sidewalk, hoping to catch a glance of him making his daily coffee run. Shit. He sounds like a stalker. With no luck, he turns back to face the small table and grabs his phone, trying to think of another bullshit excuse to send to Niall. His friends know, but they don’t know how bad it gets sometimes.

After he hits send, he pushes in the metal chair, and starts to get up to walk and put his half eaten plate in the trash. That’s when he sees him. On the other side of the busy street waiting for the crosswalk sign to change, god he looks so fucking good standing there, sunglasses and a beanie covering his hair, a big striped sweater that must cover almost down to his knees. Louis wonders where he gets all of his clothes. The streetlight changes along with Louis’ breathing pattern. Now ragged and unsteady as the boy makes his way across the street, heading directly toward the small restaurant front. When Louis realizes he’s awkwardly standing right in front of another table, he quickly makes his way back to the seat he was at only moments ago. He observes the tall boy as he walks up to the small cork board near the front counter. At the moment, too far away to see what he quickly staples up, Louis’ mind races with what could be on the small flyer.

After the boy continues his way up the block, Louis paces over to the board plastered with ads and business cards, when he looks up to the piece of paper, his eyes light up the brightest they have in a while. 

Louis is debating in his mind if he should actually go, he needs a job, and he’s almost one hundred percent sure that the unnamed boy must work there. Why else would he be putting up flyers saying “now hiring”? Louis knows he wants to. God he wants to so fucking bad. But actually walking into the small thrift store he’s now down the street from, that’s a different story. He goes through the pro’s and con’s quickly, and decides that this could be the chance he has been waiting for all his life. Plus according to his mom, having some extra cash lying around “isn’t a bad thing Louis”. 

It’s taking all Louis has in him right now to not vomit right onto the sidewalk in front of the small store. All he has to do is go in and ask about a job. Whoever helps him will do most of the talking right? Hopefully. 

He does it. His feet start moving before his brain has time to catch up, and the next thing he knows, he’s inside. It’s decent sized, smells like old ladies, stuffy. But he could get used to it, could make it work. His glances are interrupted by an almost too-cheery voice to his left. “Hi there, can I help you with something?” Startled by the confident voice, Louis looks that direction, startled even more when he sees the owner of the voice is already standing about two feet away from him. He looks her up and down (not because he was checking her out) but because it makes him feel a little bit more comfortable sometimes to know exactly who he’s speaking to. His eyes catch her name tag. Steph. 

After a few seconds, when he thinks it’s been just enough time, Louis responds, his voice cracks. Of course. “I saw a flyer downtown about you guys needing some new help here.” He breaths a mental sigh of relief. Her eyes light up. That’s nice, Louis thinks.

“Ahhh yes!! I think Harry just put some up earlier. He’s in charge, I’ll run and go get him?” She questions, and Louis is about to respond but the woman is already headed behind a curtain that says “employees only.”

Louis mind is whizzing a million times an hour, Harry. That must be his name. Oh my god, he’s about to talk to him, for the first time ever. And this guy doesn’t even know him, doesn’t know that Louis is fucking gone for him, doesn’t know how many times he’s slipped his way into his head. Doesn’t know all the scenarios Louis has placed him in already, he probably doesn’t even know they go to the same fucking college.

\---

Harry has only had about one moment in his life when he felt like the air was knocked out of his lungs, he was seven. But today, right now, this may be another one of those rare moments. He was about to walk out of the stocking area to meet with a potential employee. As he catches a glimpse of the guy Steph described to him he stops in his tracks. No matter how fucking dumb it sounds his definition of beauty is changing at this exact moment. He looked at him for less than three seconds but it seems like he’s known him for weeks, even months. The stranger is just standing there aimlessly biting on his fingernails while looking at the trinkets, and Harry thinks it may be the best thing he’s seen in the past year. His hair is just messy enough to still look good, swept to the side, sort of a light caramel color. He’s wearing clothes that Harry would never, but somehow they fit his small body in a way that enamours him. He thinks that he may have just caught a glimpse of his life flashing before his eyes, like those moments you have when you’ve almost be killed in a car wreck. But this was the exact opposite, god Harry feels so alive.

Maybe he should actually go out and talk to him now, instead of making him wait any longer. 

“Hi, I’m Ha- the manager here. I heard you were looking for a job?” He silently curses himself for his shitty choice of words. 

He smiles. His eyes are a shade of blue that matches Harry’s bed sheets. But no matter how insulting that analogy sounds, they’re insanely neverending, Harry’s already lost in them.

“Hi, yeah uhm I’m Louis Tomlinson.” His voice is raspy, and a higher pitch than Harry expected. He sounds a little nervous. 

“So, we’re really in need of help right now, and we don’t usually have that much of an interview process because well frankly, this isn’t the top job on the market right now.” Harry chuckles quietly at his own attempt to be funny, knowing his confidence is shot to hell.

Louis doesn’t say anything just chuckles along with him. Harry takes this as an opportunity to continue, “so what’s your availability and when can you start?”

Louis must be shocked because his face lights up so bright it makes Harry’s heart melt down his ribcage. “Wait I got the job?” 

“Mhmm.” Is all Harry can get out without bursting out into a glamorous smile. (He thinks it may be too early for that)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know if you liked it!!


End file.
